Expansion shoe for elevator doors



B. WEXLER.

EXPANSION SHOE FOR ELEVATOR DOORS. APPLICATION mar? SEPT. 1, 1921.

i L; /T

Patented May 16, 1922.

entree stares BENJAMIN wnxnnn, or BROOKLYN, new Yonn, Assreivon no man,PEELLE COM- PANY, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A. eonronnrron" on NEW YORK.

EXPANSION SHOE FDR ELEVATOR DOORS.

Application filed September 1, 1921. Serial No. 497,470.

To all "whom it may concern:

Be it known that 'I, BENJAMIN WEXLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at the borough ofBrooklyn, in the city of New York, county o'l'Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Expansion Shoes for Ele vator Doors, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawlng, which forms a part thereof.

My invention relates to expansion shoes for elevator doors, andmoreparticularly to a type thereof adapted for use in fireproof elevatordoors.

Heretofore in this art, it has been a common practice to provideexpansion guide members upon the side'rails or bars of the metallicframe of a fireproof elevator door, such a guide member being shown inLetters Patent No. 1,237,430 granted to me under date of August 21st,1916. In-this typeiot guide member, a portion of the flame angle carriedby each side rail or bar of the frame of the door had a slit cut so asto permita portion of one flange or" this flame angle to be bentoutwardly toward the wall rail so that in the event of expansion of thetrainee-t the door under heat, this guide member will yield under thelateral stresses and thus prevent the'binding of the door between theguides to an extent which will prevent the operation of: the door in theevent of fire. Said guide memberis held against displacement withrelation to the side bar by suitable means.

The construction shown in my aforesaid Letters Patent, while meeting therequirements for which it was intended, has not been found entirelysatis'faetoryin use, since in the ordinary iii'uictioning of the door,it is guided in its movement through its cooperation with the flanges ofthe wall angle and with a guide angle secured thereto, between theinwardly projecting flange of which and the parallel. flange oi the wallangle, said member has movement. This condition not only necessitates aspecial construction of the guides for the elevator doors but entailsconsiderable difficulty when mounting these rails, and under ordinaryconditions results in excessive elear- I ance between the guide and therails tending'toward looseness in the panels of the,

doors under normal conditions of use;

Furthermore, guide members ferried in tegrally with the flame angle ofthe door entail considerable difficulty in their pro,- ductlon, and aresubject to disarrange'ment of parts during shipping and installation ofthe doors, as wellas during their use;

With the above conditions in mind, I have produced anexpansion shoewhich, when ap Specification of Letters ?atent.' Pate t d m 16 1922 ventbinding of the shoes upon the guides or a displacement of the in theevent of fire.

WVhile a shoe embodying my invention under normal working conditions issubstantially rigid, it is slidably mounted upon the flame angle of thedoor and provided with supporting members collapsibl when subjectedtostresses resulting from expanQ I sion of the door. 7

The manner of slidably mo'untingthe shoe upon the flame'angle issuchthatin the event of the collapse of its'supports, it will recedetoward the door with a rectilinealmovement so as to minimize anytendency toward a binding of the shoes between the guide rail and thesupportsfor the shoe.

guides by the door,

The invention consists primarily in an expans-ion shoe for elevatordoors embodyingftherein a forked 'n'ieinber adapted to straddle theguide rail for adoor, a flame angle carried by'thed'oor, means wherebysaid forked member is slidably mounted upon said flame angle, and acollapsible support for said member bearing against the side of thedoor, whereby in the event of expansion of the door from heat, thestresses deveploped will collapse said sup port and permit said shoe tohave movementon the flame angle" towards the door; and in such othernovel features of construction and combination. of partsas arehereinafter metal frame f of elevator doors embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of one side of one OfiSa-ldClOOIS,showing a shoe embodying my invention in elevation;

Fig. 3 is a front view thereofyand Fig. 4: is an GillfllgGLl viewsimilar to 1* 1g.

2, showing the construction of the shoe and the co-operating wall andguide angles.

, Like letters refer tolike parts throughout the several views.

In the embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings, a indicates theupper, and b the lower panel of a pair of vertically movable panels of adoor embodying my invention, which pannels are connected'by the suspension meansc to have simultaneous verti cal movement in oppositedirections.

type of door is more extensively used than a single panel door,although-my invention is equally applicable to the-latter type of door.

Mounted upon opposite sides of the vari ous door openings in the shaft,is'avertically extending wall angle (Z, one flange of which is attachedto the wall of" the shaftand the other flange of which extends inwardlyat right angles to-said' wall. Se-' cured to the last named flange ofthe wall angleis a guide angle 6, one flange ofwhich is used forsecuring it to the flange of the wall angle, and the other flange ofwhich extendsparallelwith the wall and serves as a guide rail for theelevator doors.

Elevator. doors ofthe type to which my" invention relates are formed ofan angle constituting the oppositely disposed parallel top and bottomrails of the door and the vertical side rails thereof, the opening inthis frame being closed either by a 'metal sheathed, wooden panel or bya corrugated-metal panel.

, Such, doors are used extensively 1n con- ,nection :with elevatorequipment of warehouses and are of large dimensions, so that in theevent of fire the heating of the frame will have a tendency tomaterially expand same, the expansion of the top and bottom I railsresulting in a su'liicient' enlargement of the lateral dimensions of thedoor. so that if the guide shoes carried thereby have a suflicientlyclose fit with the guide rail 6, to; normally insure free movement ofthe door,- without looseness, t-his'expansionwill result in a binding ofthe door which will make its operation diflflcult if not impossible. Toavoid this condition, as well as to ensure a smooth running, of thedool'under normal conditions, a shoe-embodying my inventionis used. l

A, multiple panel door is shown because this Secured to each side railof a door panel tending angle bar 9, one flange g of which extendsbetween the guide rail and the parallel flange of the wall angle, so asto eifectively close any gap at opposite edges of the door to preventthe escape of flames and smoke from the floor of the building towithinthe shaft, or vice versa.

Carried by the flange g of at least one of said flame angles 9 are aplurality of shoes embodying my invention, said shoes consisting of aforked member 71. substantially corresponding in dimensions andconfiguration with the guide shoes commonly used upon doors ofv thistype, except as to the manner of mountingsame-with relation to the door.This forked member is adapted to'straddle the guide rail: 0 and have asufliof slots lY-ii, which slots extend substan-' tially horizontallyand receive the bolts 5-2, said slots being formed in extensions of thearm of the forked member positioned between the guide rail 6 and thewall angle d. Said extensions are reduced in thickness so as to positionthe heads of the belts or rivets i-z" out of a, plane of contact withthe guide rail e.

Disposed. between the forked member /i and the flange g of the flameangle 9 is a suitablegasket j of paper, fusible metal or other materialwhich, if subjected to heat, will disintegrate sufficiently to ensurefreedom of movement of the member It with relation to its supportingbolts or rivets and the flange g.

In addition to the slots h7i and the co-operating bolts or rivets 'i,the member It is secured with relation to the door frame to the flameangle 9, by means of collapsible supports 70-70 which will enthe flangeg of the flame angle socured to the side rail of the door section.

Under normal conditions looseness of the shoe is prevented by soproportioniug the length of the slots /t7z'- that the bolts or rivets2'2" will engage the end thereof adjacent to the door and thus hold thesupports K'fl-ii in the desired intimate engagement with the said flameangle flange.

It is apparent that the particular construction of flame angle shown inthe drawing, need not be employed, and that the supports 70-70 will haveexactly the same operative effect if they engage the sidebar of the doordirectly instead of through the medium of the flange of the flame angle.

Any desired number of shoes may be so cured to the side rail of thedoor, preferably two shoes being ordinarily used.

While the use of expansion shoes upon one sideonly of the door, wouldavoid bind ing of the door incase of expansion as a result of fire, itis generallyrequired, and preferable, to apply such shoes to the opposite side of the door, which, however, merely involves a duplication ofparts.

The operation of the herein described shoe is substantially as follows':1 r

In elevator doors embodying expansion shoes made in accordance with myinvention, the shoes may be attached to the doors in the factory, orshipped to the point of installation separate from the door' structure.If the latter practice be followed, the flame angle will be pierced atthe proper points to receive the bolts or rivets ii thus facilitatingthe assembling of thedoor structure, while the door is being installed,since this involves merely the mounting of the forked member it upon theflame angle 9, the dimensions of the collapsible supports lc-Zc, beingsuch as to ensure the proper locating of the slot 72/-h with relation tothe rivet openingsin said flame angle.

It is the common practice to provide the guide rail structures for fireproof elevator doors with removable sections to facilitate the mountingand removal of doors from the guide rails.

In the event of wear upon the expansion shoe of my invention, suchremovablesections of the guide rail may be used to permit a rapid andconvenient removal of a worn shoe and the substitution of a new shoetherefore.

The gasket between the member k and the flame angle and the location ofthe bolts or rivets 2'-e" at the end of the elongated slots h7z towardsthis door section will ensure the desired firm seating 0f the memberwhile permitting looseness of said member in the event of thedestruction of the gasket when subjected to high tempera tures.

Under normal conditions, the member it will function solely as a guideshoe the reduced extensions of the inner arm of the forked member sopositioning the bolts or rivets iz" as to prevent such contact thereofwith the rail, as might interfere with the free running of the door.

In the event of the expansion of the door frame under heat, thecollapsible supports will yield before the application of stresses tothe guide rail 6, will be sufficient to permit a material binding of theshoe against same, or distortion of the guide rail. To secure thisresult, it is apparent that the supports 7c7c must be so proportioned asto give them a lower compression co-eflicient than that of the wall andguide rail structure.

the gasket j fromheat and the collapse of the supports la7;, this memberIt may slidefreely upon the bolts or rivets z", the parallel relation ofthe slots h7t preventing any skewing of this member 72,. The resultantrectilineal movement of said fitting will prevent possible jamming ofthe door so that even if thesupports lc7t" were to be collapsedotherwise than as a result of expansion of the door the only resultwould be lost motion laterally of the door, since the depth of the forkof the member h would. prevent disengagement of the shoe froniits raileven upon a maximum collapsing of thesaid supports. 7

1 If any fitting of the shoe be required, the. use of material stockpermits a Workman to collapse or extend the supports 70-h by the use ofa hammer, theslots h--7t permitting suflicient variation in the positionof the member h, uponfthe flame angle to secure any desired adjustmentof the shoe with relation to the guide rail 6.

The manner of mounting the guide shoe upon the flame angle avoids thepresence of any gaps in this flamefangle, while permitting the desiredrelative movement of the shoes and the door structure in the event offire.

The member h and the parts appurtenant thereto may be readily made ofmalleable adapted to straddle the guide rail for a door, a flame anglecarried by the door, means whereby said forked member slidably ismounted upon said flame angle, and a collapsible support for said memberbearing against the side of the door, whereby in the event of theexpansion of the door from heat, stresses developed will collapse saidsupport and permit said shoe to have move ment on the flame angletowards the door.

2. An expansion shoe for elevator doors embodying therein a forkedmember adapted to straddle the'guide rail fora door, a flame anglecarried by the door, said forked memher having a plurality of elongatedslots therein, bolts carried by said flame angle projected through saidslots and engaging said forked member adjacent said slots whereby saidforked member is slidably of the shoes to the mounted upon said flameangle, and a collapsible support for said member bearing against theside of the door, whereby in the event of expansion of the door fromheat, the stresses developed will collapse said support and permit saidshoe to have movement on the flame angle towards the door.

3. An expansion shoe for elevator doors embodying therein a forkedmember adapted to straddle the guide rail for a door, a flame anglecarried by the door, a gasket of material which will disintegrate whensubjected to heat interposed between said forked member and said flameangle, means -whereby said forked member is slidably mounted upon saidflame angle, and a col lapsible support for said member bearing againstthe side of the door, whereby in the event of expansion of the door fromheat, the stresses developed will collapse said support and permit saidshoe to have movement on the flame angle towards the door.

4. An expansion shoe for elevator doors embodying therein a forkedmember adapted to straddle the guide rail for a door, a flame anglecarried by the door, said member having a plurality of parallelhorizontal elongated slots, bolts carried by said flame angle passingthrough said slots and engaging said member adjacent thereto wherebysaid forked member is slidably mounted upon said flame angle, and acollapsible support for said member bearing against the side of thedoor, whereby in the event of expansion of the'door'from heat, thestresses developed will collapse said support and permit said shoe tohave rectilineal movement on the flame angle towards the door.

5. An expansion shoe for elevator doors embodying therein a forkedmember adapted to straddle the guide rail for a door, a flame anglecarried by the door, the arm of said forked member adjacent said flameangle being provided with extensions reduced in thickness as comparedwith said arm and having elongated slots thereto, bolts carried by saidflame angle and. projecting through said slots and engaging theextension adjacent thereto whereby said forked member is slidablymounted upon said flame angle, and a collapsible support for said memberbearing against theside ofthe door whereby in the event of the expansionof the door from heatthe stresses developed will collapse said supportand permit said shoe to have movement 011 the flame angle towards thedoor.

6. An expansion shoe for elevator doors embodying therein a forkedmember adapted to straddle the-guide rail for. a door, a flame anglecarried by the door, the arm of said forked member adjacent said flameangle having extensions reduced in thickness as compared with the arm,and each an elongated slot therein, said slots being parallel, boltscarried by said flame angle, projecting through said slots and engagingthe extension adjacent thereto, whereby said member is slidably mount-edupon said flame angle, and a collapsible support for said member bearingagainst the side of the door whereby in the event of expansion of thedoor from heat, the stresses developed will collapse said support, andpermit said shoe to, haverectilineal movement on the flame angle towardsthe door.

7. An expansion shoe, for elevator doors embodying therein a forkedmember adapted to straddle the guide rail for a door, a flame anglecarried by the door, the arm of said forked member adjacent to saidflame angle having. extensions reduced in thickness as compared with thearm, and having an elongated slottherein, said slots being: parallelwith each other a gasket of material which will. disintegrate whensubjected to heat interposed between said forked member and said flameangle, bolts carried. by said flame angle projecting through said gasketand said slots and engaging the extensions adjacent thereto, wherebysaid member is slidably mounted upon said flame angle and acollapsible-support for said member bearing against the side of the doorwhereby in the event of expansion of the door from heat, the stressesdeveloped will collapse said support and permit said shoe to haverectilineal movement on the flame angle towards the door.

8. An expansion shoe for elevator doors embodying therein a memberadapted to slid-ably engage the guide rail for an clevator door, meanswhereby said member is slidably mounted upon the flame angle of a doormeans normally preventing movement of said member towards the doorconsisting of supports having a lower compression coeflicient than theguide rail structure, and a gasket formed of material which willdisintegrate under heat, interposed between said member and said flameangle, whereby under normal conditions said shoe will have asubstantially rigid relation to the door but will have movement towardthe door as a result of the disintegration of said gasket and thecollapse of said support when the door is subjected to heat.

In witness whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature this 26th day ofAugust, 1921, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BENJAMIN VEXLER.

' Witnesses FRANK T. VVENTWORTI-I,

FRIEDA KonHLnR.

